Paddling: Horseshoe Cove

 

Before the fires.

I Wish, I Wish, I Wish I Were A Fish?

On the water, at least; if not in the water.  Looking at the fish as I glide above them.  Frankly, going swimming or diving would be great too.

I am definitely missing paddling the new board.  I had just managed to shift into that state of being in which working out is a real routine, a real need.

A selfish wish, to exercise outside, during this time of smoke and fire.

Still . . . .  

Photo by JP

Moored

 And unmoored as well.

Yesterday's Looking-for-Cool.

Sausalito morning.

Looking for Cool

 In this heatwave, one strategy has been to get bayside, to get out onto the bay, early in the day.

Point Molate paddling

Photo by JP

My stance is better than I had feared.

I guess balancing creates the proper feedback pattern.

Accidental Exposure

 

I made the local paper as an extra in a photo!

(Thanks, Bibit, for sharing this with me.)

At my first paddle boarding lesson a month or so back, a writer was part of the group learning to paddle.  ( A photographer was stationed on land.)

In the photo, I am looking down at my board instead of looking forward and beyond. Grrr.

(I look at my skates on the ice too: bad form.)

Aiming for Fitness

 

Paddle boarding just might save me, particularly since the pools are closed or restricted. Whole body workout. Measured exercise for the problematic knees. Balancing exercises supposedly good for the aging brain!

And I live with such bounty, so many paddling spots bayside or seaside, an easy drive away.

(I have been commuting hours for decades for lesser rewards. In the pandemic, I am spending more hours at the computer, but some of my old hours at the wheel could go into a proper workout.)

--August 12 notebook entry

Meet The New Board

 

My new paddle board is definitely demanding: sleek and tippy. 

(Still, the test isn't genuine without the threat of failure.) 

But my legs and knees, while sore and stiff in the morning, seem to benefit from the exercise, and my spirit certainly has been glad to find salt water in this new way. I wonder, yes, if I should have chosen a cruiser, but all the books and the guides say buy the board that challenges you. 

Mere salesmanship? 

I will tell you after some serious workouts.

P.S. I do like how fast this board can be, even when I am merely in kayak-mode.

Gray Is The Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUP: Sausalito Morning